Qatar welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors from around the world during the FIFA World Cup tournament which ended yesterday with Argentina beating France to lift the trophy, the Qatar News Agency has reported. The total attendance figure for all matches combined was 3.4m people. The average attendance was above 53,000 per match, more than 96 per cent of the total capacity. "We organised an exceptional, impressive tournament," said Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. "It will represent a milestone in hosting major international events." Al-Thawadi added that the historic event will leave a sustainable social, economic and environmental legacy for the country and, in fact, the whole region. Sixty-three matches were played in eight stadiums across the 28 days of the tournament. The stadiums were all within an hour's drive of central Doha
